St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-28
Prominent Visiting Irishmen
to Be Received With a
Demonstration.
The Pastor Of One Of the
Prominent Churches Ex-
pected Home To-Day.
Summary Of News Gathered
On a Bright Indian
Summer Day.
THE COMMANDER SPEAKS.


the G. A. r. at a housing Camp
Fire.
The combined Grand Army of the
Republic posts of st. Paul held rous-
ing campfire at Acker Post hall last
night, to ratify the election of Judge
Rea, of Minneapolis, to the position of
commander-in-chief of the &. A. r..
Commander Rea and Maj. Henderson,
of his staff, occupied seats on the plat
form, with eX-GoY. Marshall, Col. j. Ham
Davidson. Capt. III. A. Castle and other
prominent ex-soldierS. A glee club
Opened the exercises by singing an old
war hymn. Col. j. Ham Davidson, who
was in college with Commander Rea
when the war broke out. delivered
congratulatory address, assuring the
commander of the hearty support and
cooperation of the ST. Paul q. A. Il.
in whatever course or policy
he might pursue. Commander Rea's
response was eloquent and impressive.
He stood with his right hand partially
hidden in his trousers pocket, making
most of his gestures with his head, which
he shook vigorously TO emphasize his
sentences. Extracts from the speech
are given below:
Army of the Republic for twenty-one
years, and l believe in the organiZa-
ton. and believe in the prin-
ciples upon which it is founded.
When the war was over great appre-
tensions were felt as to the result of
diSbanding that great army of men.
They came home after having written
upon the battlefields of their country. a
history without a parallel in the world.
They came back and took their place in
society. and there was never ripple on
the surface. Although they were COM
PEELED to slaughter half million of
of dollars worth of property, they were
doing il for a
PURPOSE so HOLY
and cause so grand that they were
lifted up and made better men by it.
In little time the Grand Army got
upon its true basiS-fraternity, charity
and loyalty. The tie which binds us to-
gether is not the result of pledge: it
is the result of brotherhood that grew
up among us while we were sharing
together the perils and sufferings of
the field and the camp. No man who
wore the blue fully approaching the of
flee he was performing in the worlds
history for liberty and humanity can
feel in his heart that he meets a brother.
Now. charity! don't mean the cold
charity of the world. but that charity
which the brother feels for the brother.
One great purpose. of our organization
is that by this organiZ.ti IN we
can have this fraternity, this brother
hood organized so THAT it can put forth
the full moral power of the survivors of
the Union army in alleviating the suf-
feringS of our comrades. Sometimes
the criticism is made that the Grand
Army is little too eXtrayagant in it's
demands for pensions. The Grand
Army, in its national encampment for
five successive years, has, by
a most decided vote and over
whelming majority, resolved against
all forms of service pension, and has
simply instructed its pension committee
to secure an equalization of pensions in
the first place, and then the penSioning
only of those who are needy and deServ-
ing. Before the Grand Army APP
pointed pension committee there was
great distinction and difference made in
the amount of pension paid to man
who happened to have lost his
leg as captain, and man
equally good who happened to have lost
his leg as private. Through the
efforts of the Grand Army this has been
changed, and pensions are now paid to
men, not for their rank, but for the
physical loss they sustained in serving
the country. The sentiment of the
Grand Army of the Republic is I'M
alterably opposed to anything which
looks like a compensation or pay
ment in money for the sacrifices
which men made in obedience to the
impulses of patriotism and duty. But
don't put the old veteran in the poor
house. Don't make him common pau
per. Let him be taken care of if he is
not able to take care of himself. The
loyalty of the Grand Army of the Re-
public is simply loyalty
TO THE OLD FLAG,
to the constitution, and to the great
American idea. which is the manhood of
man and the wonlanhood of woman.
The greatness of our great country rests
upon that. 1t rests upon the intelli-
gence and character of the men and the
women who make up the 60,OO0,OO0 of
Its people. For the first time in the his
tory Of the world. here in America, men
are estimated for what they are; here,
for the first time in the political history
of the world, where powers are
value of an Individual is es-
timated, and that is the great
underlying secret of the wondrous
progress of this land; and to that we are
loyal, and we are loyal to the constitu-
ton and to the Union and to the union
OF these states, as a great emporium.
In the Grand Army of the Republic we
have men representing all races. all ma
tionalitieS, all civilization, and thank
God, all colors. They represent all re-
lli!gions; they represent all political par
ties, and l have very little respect
for a Grand Army man who cannot,
inside the post, forget that there is any
party politics outside. We are banded
together for grand and holy purpose.
not only with respect to ourselves but
with respect to our eountrymen, and
respect to all that which is good. That
is the position which we occupy
here in America. These 6O.OO0,-
600 people, stretching from ocean
to ocean, making one great, broad
unbroken plain of happy American
homes. and the level of that plain.
through the progress which we acceler-
ated, is higher than the altitude reached
by the most favored few in the ages
past. Standing away upon that aIti-
tude, we of America are looking ont
upon the prospects-fairer than ever
DAZZLED THE EYES
of any people in the worlds history
but the Grand Army men are passing
into the sere and yellow leaf. Almost a
quarter of century has passed
since we came marching home.
but we helped to do that; helped
to lift it up; we helped to make the peo
pie over; we helped to start this prog
ress, and through the few years that we
have let US help to keep the people true
to the ideas which involved this prog
ress, and which alone can make the fuf-
IRE that which the outlook promises.
Commander Rea was followed nv
Capt. 81. A. Castle. Mayor Henderson
and DR.. j. I'll. Murphy, who made brief
addresses. AT the suggestion of Gov
Marshall. the audience joined in the